Vliet Street just lost a daytime staple. Lisa Kaye Bistro, the Near West Side restaurant opened by chef Lisa McKay in fall 2024, has closed its brick-and-mortar space at 3801 W. Vliet St. McKay is now hunting for a new home for the bistro while keeping her catering business and youth-focused culinary programs running. The storefront had already scaled back service this winter, and the business’s last public event was held in mid-February.
In an email to reporters, McKay wrote that she is “waiting to hear back about the possibility of leasing another space,” according to Urban Milwaukee. The outlet notes the Vliet Street location now has an empty interior, although the exterior signage is still up, and reports that the bistro had been forced into a temporary closure after a January 2025 water-line breach. Urban Milwaukee adds that the restaurant operated for more than a year before finally shutting its doors.
From catering pop-up to brick-and-mortar
McKay brought Lisa Kaye Bistro to the Near West Side after years of running Lisa Kaye Catering, taking the leap to a storefront in October 2024 with a menu built around breakfast and lunch. OnMilwaukee covered the debut and spotlighted housemade pasties, blackened fish, street tacos and rotating soups. The piece noted that McKay planned to lean into nonalcoholic beverages and private events rather than operate a full bar.
McKay’s community work will continue
Even without a dine-in space, McKay’s broader culinary work is not slowing down. Her Lisa Kaye Catering site and the Culinary Education Program detail youth programming, a Jr. Chef Club and summer camps she organizes as part of her nonprofit efforts. The program materials note that McKay has served as chairperson of the American Culinary Federation’s Chef and Child Foundation in Milwaukee and list a steady stream of upcoming fundraisers and classes.
What’s next for the storefront
The Vliet Street building is owned by Rissa LLC, which is registered to Tom Straub, and previously housed Triciclo Peru, according to Urban Milwaukee. McKay has said she will keep followers posted on Facebook and Instagram as she works to secure a new location. In the meantime, she plans to continue catering and to move forward with her soup-fest fundraiser for the Jr. Chef Club.
For nearby diners, the closure means one fewer casual lunch and soul-food option on Vliet Street, even as neighborhood groups keep pushing to stabilize small-business occupancy along the corridor.
